A recent video shows Larnie Thomas, a black man, being arrested by a white officer for allegedly walking in a suburban road because the sidewalk was under construction.
Thomas was walking down Xerxes Avenue in Edina, Minnesota, which is in a residential area with homes on either side of the street and has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour. The footage, which was shot by Janet Rowles, starts with Officer Tim Olson’s gripping the back of Thomas’s jacket as he shouts he’s done nothing wrong.
In the video, Thomas appeared to have already passed the construction and was behind the white line that divides pedestrians and traffic. Olson, who is not in uniform, tells Thomas to ‘come over here’ as he grabs his jacket to prevent him from running away, moving him momentarily back into the road before reaching the front of the unmarked squad car.
Olson tells Thomas that he was ‘walking down the middle of the street’ to which Thomas replies that he was ‘on the white line’ and that Olson ‘can’t put his hands on him’ like that. Olson says he’s not going to take him to jail, to which Thomas replies that if he’s not taking him to jail, he should take his hand off of him.
Thomas was cited for disorderly conduct and failure to obey a traffic signal. He was given a Breathalyzer test, which detected alcohol in his system. Thomas was detained for 45 minutes before being released.
The Minnesota NAACP called for the police to apologize and for Olsen to be suspended without pay in the following statement:
“Watching that video and seeing a black man being manhandled and emasculated by Edina Police was not only painful and humiliating, it was a vivid reminder that blacks are still too-often seen as second class citizens in the State of Minnesota and in this nation.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s-HyGscURs
What Happened?
Larnie Thomas, a black man, was arrested by a white off-duty officer for allegedly walking in a suburban road because the sidewalk was under construction. Thomas was cited for disorderly conduct and failure to obey a traffic signal.
Who Is Larnie Thomas?
Larnie Thomas is a man who was arrested in Edina, Minnesota, for walking in the road. Thomas was walking down Xerxes Avenue in Edina, Minnesota, which is in a residential area with homes on either side of the street and has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour. Footage shot by Janet Rowles, starts with Officer Tim Olson’s gripping the back of Thomas’s jacket as he shouts he’s done nothing wrong.
